Explosive projectile.



M. G. MAUNSELL.

EXPLOSIVE PBOJEGTILE.

uruouxon nun 001222, 1900.

91 1,420. Patented Feb. 2, 1909. 7 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. fig! M. G. MAUNSELL.

EXPLOSIVE PBOJEOTILE. rruurnon mum 00-122. 1900.

91 1 ,420, Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

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77Zanu6Z 6: 77ZaunaeZZ MANUEL CHARLES MAUNSELL, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND.

EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

Application filed October 22, 1906. Serial No. 340,069.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MANUEL UnAnLns MAUNSELL, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 32 Victoria street, Westminster, 'in the county of London, England, late major Royal Artillery, have invented certain new and useful 1m rovements Relating to Explosive Projecti es, of Which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to explosive projectiles or shells of the kind in which is rovided a safety device for preventing the ash of the fuse from reaching the bursting charge of the shell, until said shell has been fired from a gun and subjected to the action of centrifugal force due to its rotation in its fli ht.

n projectiles as heretofore constructed the fuse, or the art thereof containing the priming charge, as been retained inasafety chamber in the base of the projectile and cut off from the direct communication with the bursting charge by sliding or pivoted barriers which are removed by centrifugal force only after the projectile has left the gun, and may be held in open position by spring bolts or other suitable means, so that on impact the fuse may be projected forwards intothe bursting charge and ignited.

According to my invention the safety fuse chamber is dispensed with so that a base or nose fuse, screwed into the pro'ectile in the usual manner may be employe The safety device is. situated between the screwed in fuse and the passa e leading to the bursting charge of the s ell, so that when the aforesaid sliding iece is in its closed osition this passage is masked and the flash due to any premature or unintentional discharge of the fuse prevented from passing the safety device and reaching the ursting charge. When however the shell is fired from a gun, the spin it receives from the riflin causes the centrifu al force to move the siding iece as is well its open position where it is held by the said retaining bolt so that in the firing of the fuse the flash is able to reach the bursting charge of theshell.

The aforesaid safety device will also add to the security against explosion of unfused shells when in store, as well as during the unplugging orplugging operations, by preventing unexpected or temporax flame or flash from igniting the bursting c arge.

Obviously the safety device is applicable understood into.

to shells having their fuses arranged at the nose or at the base.

in order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, 1 will now proceed to describe the same more fully wlth reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the nose or forward portion of a projectile provided with one form of my safety device. Fig. 2 is a plan of the said safety device with the parts in the position they occupy, before the projectilc has been fired from the gun, and Fig. 3 is a similar view with the parts in the osition they occupy after the projectile has con fired from the gun. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the nose of a rojcctile, provided with a modified form of my safety device. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the said modifled device before firin and Fig. 6 is a similar view of the same after firing. Figs. '7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are plan views of further modified forms of my safety device, and, F ig. 13 is a vertical section showin the a plication of my safety device to thefimse of a projectile.

Like letters of reference indicate similar parts in all the figures. Ais the projectile.

for same.

C are )l'ojections or wings on the inner Walls of the projectile.

D is the plate or disk forrnin part of my sefeiy device and provided with the open- 1 is the eccentrically arranged movable piece, normally covering said opening E and adapted to slide transversely or radially with res ect to the axis of the rojectile in grooves or i anged guides in said isk.

G is the spring controlled catch, H is a s iral or other s ring for maintaining said shding piece in t is closed or normal positions.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, before the projectile is fired from the gun, the movable piece F is maintained in its closed position, that is to say in a position to close or mask the hole or opening E, thereby preventing communication between the fuse and the bursting charge. Upon firing the projectile, and as soon as the same has acquired the reuisite spin or rotation after leaving the gun t c said movable piece F assumes the osition shown in Fig. 3, and is prevented om returning to its closed osition, b means of the catch G which in t e examp 0 shown is B the fuse and adapter in the form of a pin subject to the action of a spring which 0 crates to push said pin inward in front 0 the movable piece when the latter assumes its retracted or outward position. The opening E is then 0 cn and fully exposed so that when the flash rom the fuse occurs it can pass to the bursting charge and explode the same in the ordinary manner.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 a similar safety device is shown with the exception that two movable pieces F, F are provided, said movable pieces overlapping each other at their inner ends in their closed position and movin apart in opposite directions'when subjecte to the action of centrifugal force.

As an additional security to my safet device and in order to meet the impro able event of a projectile even when fitted with the above device prematurely bursting within a short distance of its leaving the muzzle of the gun, if not actually within the gun, if a very sensitive fuse be employed, 1 construct the safety device in the manner illustrated by Figs. 7, 8 and 9. In this case the disk D is provided with two movable pieces F and F arranged to operate at right angles to each other, or at any other convenient angle. The piece F is provided with a coned recess K in which is adapted to slide the piece F which so long as it is in engagement with the piece F preventsthe latter from movement. When the projectile has been fired and has acquired the requisite s )in or rotation the piece F slides outwardly under the action of centrii'u al force thereby releasing the piece F whie immediately slides outwardly as before, leaving the o )ening E free. In this instance however t e time occupied to uncover said opening is greater than in the previous case and thus the projectile cannot explode untilit has reached a considerably further distance from the gun.

If it be required to provide for a still greater distance of travel of the projectile om the muzzle of the gun before uncovering the opening E, I may provide the disk or late D with three sliding pieces F, F and F, as shown in F' s. 10 and 11. In this case the piece F is for ed at L and normally engages with a lug M on the piece F thereby preventing the same from moving outwards,

and consequently also preventing the piece F from moving outwards. After the rejectile has been fired from the n, the t ree pieces move outwards in t e following order:-First the iece F moves thereby releasing the piece secondly the piece F moves outwards and thereby releases the piece F, and thirdly the piece F moves, thereby uncovering the aperture In this case a still greater length oftlme 1s occupied to uncover the opening E than in the other cases referred to above.

Inthose devices illustrated in Figs. 7 to 1 1 it will be noted that the pin or catch G is dis ensed with. I am enabled to dispense wit the same, by constructing the movable pieces and guides with square corners and allowing such space externally to such guides that the movable pieces when not engaging said uides have free angular motion; so that it is highl im robable that they would rengage sai gui es and slide forward .to cover said openmg E when the movable pieces are no longer subjected to the action of centrifugal force.

Fig. l2'shows a further modification of my safety device in which the opening E is elliptic and eccentric, thereby enabling a shorter movable piece to be utilized and insuring efiioient centrifugal action.

Fig. 13 shows 111 safet device ada ted for use in a pro'ecti e fitte' with a base se. In this case t e disk D and its movable pieces are protected from the shock caused, in firing the gun, by the setting back of the bursting charge, by a perforated plate N of steel or other suitable metal, protected on each side by suitable pads or washers P of leather or other convenient substance. The operation ofthe device is similar to the pre viously described instances, the flash of the fuse, when the opening E is exposed being communicated to the bursting charge throug the apertures in the plate N.

It are lugs or projections on the disk D, consisting of small ieces of lead or other material placed on t e disk to compensate for errors of manufacture, and are employed for the purpose of insuring a ood fit between the projections C and the se ada ter B and to prevent looseness of the dlSk w en in its position in the projectile.

What I claim and desire to secure by- Letters Patent of. the United States is:-

1. In an explosive (projectile the comb1- nation with the screwe sageleading to the bursting char e, of means situated between the screwed in se and the bursting charge for preventing the same from accidental i nition, said means being independent of t e projectile and bodily removable therefrom. V

2. In an explosive pro'ectile the combination with the screwed in e and the passage leading to the bursting charge, of a erforate disk located between the fuse and t e bursting charge, means for closing said erforation, means for maintaining said pe oration closed rior to the discharge of the projectile from t e gun, and means for mamta said perforation 0 en, after the discharge o the rojectile, sai disk and said means mdepen ent of the projectile and removable therefrom simultaneously.

3. In an explosive pro'ectile the combination with the screwed in se and the; passage leading to the bursting charge, 0 ,Ta erforate disk located between the fuse and t e bursting char e, an eceentrically arran ugally siding piece for norma ly closing sliding iece and means independent of the projecti e and removable therefrom simultaneously.

4. In an explosive pro'ectile the combination with the screwed in use and the passage leading to the bursting charge, of a erforate disk located between the fuse and t e bursting char e, an eccentrically arranged centrifugally s iding piece for normally closing said erforation, a spring for maintaining said iding piece in its closed position before the discharge of the projectile from the gun, and means for maintaining said perforation 0 en after the discharge of the gun, said disk, sliding piece and means independent of the projectile and simultaneously removable therefrom.

5. In an explosive pro'ectile the combination with the screwed in use and the passage leading to the bursting charge, of a perforated disk located between the fuse and the burstmg charge, an eeeentrically arranged eentrif ugally sl ding piece for normally closing said perforation, a sprin for maintaining said sl ding piece in its 0 osed position before the discharge of the projectile from the gun, and a spring control ed pin and abutments for preventing the return of said sliding piece ed eentrifto its normal position and maintaining the said perforation open after the discharge of the projectile, said disk, sliding piece, spring, spring-controlled pin and abutments independent of the pro1ectile and simultaneously removable therefrom.

6. In an explosive pro'ectile the eombination with the screwed in use and the passage leading to the bursting charge, of a disk located between the fuse and the bursting charge, an eeeentrically arranged centrifugally sliding piece, and means for delaying the sliding of said piece after the discharge of the projectile from the gun, said disk, sliding iece and means independent of the projeeti e and simultaneously removable tl'ierefiw im.

7. In an explosive projectile the combination with the screwed in fuse and the passage leading to the bursting charge, of a disk located between the fuse and the bursting charge, an eecentrically arranged centrifugally sliding piece, and a plurality of eccentrieally arranged centrifugally sliding pieces for delaying the sliding of said first mentioned piece, said disk and sliding pieces independent of the rojeetile and simultancously removable tlierefroin.

In testimon whereof I affix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

MANUEL CHARLES MAUNSELL.

Witnesses:

HENRY KING, S. J. READ. 

